By CityLife Arts Writer
A new play that explores humanity’s existential fears due to the threat posed by the rampaging coronavirus is in the making, and will soon light up our family lives in the comfort of our homes.
Fresh from working with Standard Young Artist of the Year for Theatre Jeff Tshabalala on his commissioned work for the National Arts Festival, Kwasha! A resident Market Theatre Laboratory Company, have begun rehearsals on a performance devised specifically for the Zoom app. The production features artists from seven countries in Africa, South America and Europe.
This truly unique theatrical experience, titled The Art of Facing Fear, is a digital international collaboration conceived by Rodolfo García Vázquez and Ivam Cabral from acclaimed theatre company Os Satyros in São Paulo.
After the first version’s success in Brazil, this new international iteration will premiere on July 31, 2020, and run from Friday to Sunday throughout August at 8pm.
The Art of Facing Fear is set in a dystopian world, 5555 days in the future, while the global pandemic still rages. In this isolated world, in which lockdown continues to be a reality, many things are not available to people.
Despite the government’s absolute control on digital communication, a group of friends still have the chance to keep in contact with each other via the internet.
This group don’t understand how it’s still possible to have electric energy and web access because all the TV channels and newspapers have vanished, and the cities have been abandoned.
The main themes are depression, loneliness, hatred, the fear of infection, the angst of nearing death, and political extremism. The idea is to establish the points in common among different national realities during the pandemic.
What are the fears that have taken over humankind during this period globally? What are the effects of social intolerance and political extremism in the world today?
At the end of the performance, artists and audience will gather and chat as an international community. They will be invited to talk freely about the performance, the effects of the pandemic in their own countries and ways for a better political future.
The co-producers of this production are: Crown Troupe of Africa (Nigeria), Darling Desperados (Sweden), Oddmanout (England), Os Satyros (Brazil), Portuguese Cultural Center of Mindelo (Cap Verde), Village Productions (South Africa), Tell-a-Tale (Nigeria), The Kwasha! Theatre Company (South Africa), The Market Theatre Laboratory (South Africa) and Unga Klara (Sweden).
Tickets: https://www.universe.com/users/darling-desperados-XLCBPZ
And the good news is that the public gets to choose how much they want to spend on the ticket to watch this drama in the comfort of their homes with friends and familly about a current existential threat
”Because we want to make this performance and conversation as accessible as possible, you choose how much to pay for your ticket, based on what you can afford! Tickets are also available in multiple currencies,“ confirmed the producers of The Art of Facing Fear.
Fonte: City Life Arts
